Machine for connecting adjacent edges of box sections with adhesive strips or tapes



Dec. 25, 1962 ECTING ADJACENT EDGE-S OF BOX SECTIONS WITH ADHESIVE STRIPS OR TAPES Filed March 15, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet l H. ZERLIN ETAL 3,069,981. MACHINE FOR CONN SECTI Filed March 15, 1961 Dec. 25, 1962 ZERLIN ETAL 3,069,981

MACHINE FOR CONNECTING ADJACENT ES OF BOX ONS WITH ADHESIVE STRIPS TAPES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United grates Patent Office 3,059,931 Patented Dec. 25, 1962 5,669,981 MACHINE QGNNECTlN-G ADPJAFCENT 6F 30X SECTIQNF'B WTTH ADHESTVE STRETS OR TAPES Hans Zerlin and Kurt Wolber, Dusseldorf, Germany, as-

signors to ilagenbergd lerke Ahta lles, Dusseldorf, Germany Filed Mar. 15, 196i, fier. No. 96,925 fiaims priority, application Germany Apr. 5, 1960 i3 filaims. (Cl. %56) The invention relates to a machine for connecting adjacent edges of box sections with adhesive strips or tapes.

More particularly, the invention pertains to machines in which the adhesive strip is moved by means of a pressure jaw which is conducted in a straight or a curved path into the vicinity of the connection point of the box edges, which edges lie on a stationary opposed punch or anvil.

In arrangements of this type, the adhesive strip is generally moved in the direction of the person operating the machine, i.e. the adhesive strip is moved, starting from the free edges in a direction toward the box curve. This arrangement requires the operator to leave his station in order to insert a new roll of adhesive strips, to put in a new adhesive strip and to correct any disturbance in the supply of the strips in order to be able to effect the necessary manual repair. A further disadvantage of this arrangement is that in changing the machine to boxes of other heights and thus to proper adhesive strip lengths, it is not only necessary to alter the mechanism which determines the lengtn of the strip, but also the front edge of the stationary punch must be adjusted to the new strip length when the adhesive strip is supplied from the rear of the assembly.

In order to eliminate this disadvantage, it is proposed to supply the adhesive strip from the service side of the machine. In other words, the adhesive strip is supplied from one end of the movable pressure jaw or the stationary punch starting from the bottom of the box portion in a direction toward the free, adjacent edges. This particular arrangement serves for eliminating the aforementioned disadvantages, and the costs of servicing and attending the machine are considerably reduced.

A further measure for facilitating the servicing is that the supply means for the adhesive strip is pivotaily and/ or replaceable arranged on the machine frame. This arrangement of the supply means simplifies the introduction or" the front end of the adhesive strip, for instance, after placing a new supply roller in the machine, or after eliminating a disturbance. The ready exchange of the supply means as an entity increases substantially the change-over of the entire means to a different strip length without the necessity of altering or replacing the dif ferent components of the supply means.

Furthermore, the arrangement in known machines of this type is such that the pressure punch executes a move ment which is in a direction perpendicular to the effective surfaces. Such a movement presupposes in addition to the driving members which produce and transfer the up and down movement of the pressure punch, a stationary guide means in which the pressure punch slides. This pressure punch guide means has been until the present time deemed necessary in view of the requirement of providing a uniform pressure force especially when handling long adhesive strips.

It has now been found that in the handling of long adhesive strips a pressure force which is uniform over the entire length of the adhesive strip may be obtained if the movable pressure jaw is arranged on lever means which is pivotable about a stationary axis of rotation, and

if such movable pressure jaw and/ or the stationary opposed punch or anvil are supported against an elastic block or the like. The advantage of such an arrangement resides primarily in the elimination of the slide guide means for the pressure punch which has been heretofore customary, thereby obtaining a considerable saving in construction expense and a simple structural arrangement.

An essential prerequisite for obtaining a uniform pressure force particularly in handling long, adhesive strips during the application of a pivot lever as a support means for the movable pressure jaw is a form fitting adaptation of the cooperating pressure jaw surfaces which is effective in all planes. This prerequisite is provided in that the movable pressure jaw and/or the stationary punch include in their connection with their supports or holding means, elastic or movable intermediate members. In this arrangement, it is suitable for the mounting of the movable pressure jaw and/or of the stationary punch to be such that the pressure jaw or the punch may have a slight lateral play. This slight lateral play efiects an equalization and thus assures a uniform pressure force when the surfaces of the box blank which form a right angle and which are to be pressed against the adhesive strip have a varying thickness.

A further prerequisite for obtaining a uniform pressure force effective in the area of the total length of the pressure jaws is achieved in that the point of rotation of the lever carrying the movable pressure jaw is displaceable to a small degree, and the adjustment of such point is effected in that the same is carried by an adjustable eccentric bolt or an adjustable eccentric sleeve.

The effective surfaces of the stationary punch which define a right angle for adaptation to a box corner have a rearwardly directed inclination starting from the front edge of the punch. This inclination is approximately 15 and avoids the tiresome strain imposed on the wrists of the operator while placing the box blank in position on the stationary punch and also makes it possible for the operator to have a full view of the entire effective range of the pressure tools since the level where the blank is positioned is below eye level.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following description and attached drawings illustrating an embodiment of the invention and in which drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view in elevation and partly in cross section of the corner connecting means with the pressure jaws being open;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. jaws being closed;

FIG. 3 is a view on an enlarged scale the area of the supply means in which the adhesive strips are introduced;

FIG. 4 is a view on line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view on line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a view on line 66 of FIG. 1, and,

FIG. 7 is a view on line 7-7 of FIG. 2.

As shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the machine includes a housing 1 provided with stationary opposed punch or anvil 3, and a movable pressure jaw 4. The punch 3 serves as a support for the box 2 to be glued.

The movable pressure jaw 4 coacts with the stationary punch 3, and the jaw is suitably secured to one arm of a double armed lever 6. The lever 6 is swingable about a stationary axis of rotation 5. The axis 5 which is displaceable to provide a precise setting of the pressure tools is defined by an eccentric bolt which carries the lever 6 or by an eccentric bearing sleeve. The upward and downward movement of the pressure jaw 4 is efiected from a curved plate or disc 25 secured to a drive shaft 7 and roller 9 on the other arm of lever 6 rides on the periphery of plate 8, and is maintained thereagainst by 1 with the pressure spring means s. The punch 3 is supported on an elastic component ltd, as shown in FIGURES 6 and 7, and the abutment provides an intermediate surface between the punch 3 and a holder 11 on the housing. The elastic component it) assures a uniform pressure force, particularly during the handling of long, adhesive strips. The arrangement may also include an elastic supporting component for the movable pressure jaw 4.

For further obtaining a uniform pressure force, the manner of securing the stationary punch is such as to permit a slight displacement of the punch for adapting the punch to varying thicknesses of the box blank material. For this purpose, the punch 3 is provided with two or more fastening pins 12 which are adapted to enter a corresponding number of bores 13 formed in the holder 11. The diameter of the bores 13 is somewhat greater than the diameter of the pins 12, thereby making possible a slight lateral play of the punch 3. Furthermore, this mode of mounting allows the easy and quick exchange of the punch 3.

Adhesive strip 15 which is adapted to be unwound from a supply roll lid is passed over a guide roller 16 into the range of a supply means which is positioned in front of the free end of the jaw 4 in the housing 1 of the machine. The supply means includes a pair of guide rollers 17, 18 and an advancing pair of rollers 19, 2(9 of which the roller 19 is driven by means hereinafter described, and effect the advancing of the strip 15 in synchronism with the working operation. As shown in FIG. 4, the advancing rollers 19, 21 are provided with profiled, peripheral surfaces to impart to the strip 15 a longitudinal bend so as to adapt the strip to its final form.

As shown in H6. 3, the supply means or parts thereof are swingably arranged on the machine frame, and this is particularly true of the rollers 18 and 29 which are mounted on housing part 21 which is adapted to pivot around bolts 22. This arrangement facilitates, as mentioned above, the introduction of a new strip, and the elimination of disturbances. Furthermore, these parts of the supply means may be removed as an entity by withdrawing bolts 22 and may be exchanged as an entity when changing the means to difierent strip widths.

Viewed in the direction of movement of the strip 15, a cutting means follows the pair of advancing rollers 19, 20, and as shown in FIG. 5, the cutting means con sists of a stationary knife 23 and a knife 24 which is secured to the front side of the movable pressure jaw 4, with the outline of the knife 24- being depicted in hatched lines in FIG. 5. The strip 15 is led by the advancing rollers 19 and 2t (FiG. 5) between the knives Z3 and 24, and into the range or Zone of the rcssure jaw d, and is held, after being cut off, by means of movable tongues 25 until the pressure jaw 4 presses the strip 15 onto the box 2.

The movement for the intermittent advancing of the strip 15 is also derived from the curved disc 8. For the purpose, there is provided a two-armed lever 26 which is pivotably mounted on a shaft 27. One arm of the lever 26 carries a roller 28 which cooperates with the curved disc d while a rope 29, chain or the like engages the free end of the other arm of lever 26. The rope 29 is passed over roller 3t) of an adjustable and fixable setting lever 31 and over a roller mounted on the shaft 27 and is connected to, after partly embracing hub 32 of advancing roller 19, a draw spring 33, the other end of the spring being connected to a fixed point of the machine. In hub 32 of advancing roller 19, a

free running device (not shown) is provided so that the reciprocating movement of the rope 29 created by the movement of the lever 26 is transmitted only in the advancing direction of the strip is to the advancing roller 19, wherein the length of the strip advancement is determined by the position of the lever 31.

The arrangement of the entire machine can be so selected that during the handling of thermoplastically coated adhesive strips a heating element may be built into the pressure jaw 4 In the event that gummed adhesive strips are used, a known wetting means (not shown) is provided.

The invention is not to be limited to the precise details of construction and operation herein disclosed, but changes and modifications may be made therein so long as such changes and modifications mark no material departure from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. in a machine for securing together the corners of a box by adhesive strips, a stationary jaw having an outer free end with said jaw being adapted to support the box corner, a second jaw having an outer free end, means for moving said second jaw toward the stationary jaw for pressing the strip against the box corner, a source of adhesive strip, a strip supply means for feeding the strip to said jaws, and means mounting said strip supply means between the source of adhesive strip and in front of the outer edges of the stationary jaw and second jaw as viewed from the operators position whereby the strip is fed from the bottom of the box corner in a direction towards the free edges to be secured.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, in which said strip supply means includes a driven advancing roller, a guide roller forward of the advancing roller, a counter roller for each of said advancing and guide rollers with the guide roller and its counter roller serving for introducing the strip to the advancing roller and its counter roller, and means removably mounting said counter rollers.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 1, including a lever to which said second jaw is secured, and means mountin said lever for pivotal movement about a stationary axis.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 3, in which the axis is displaceable to a limited degree.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 4, in which said mounting means includes adjustable eccentric bolt for permitting the displaceability of said axis.

6. A machine as claimed in claim 4, in which said mounting means includes an adjustable eccentric sleeve for permitting the displaceabili'ty of said axis.

7. A machine as claimed in claim 1, in which the effective surfaces of the stationary jaw provides an inclination relative to the horizontal starting from the service side of the machine.

8. A machine as claimed in claim 1, in which at least one of said jaws is supported by an elastic component.

References (lited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 406,736 laeger July 9, 1889 1,537,217 Ballou et al. May 12, 1925 1,617,321 Clark Feb. 15, 1927 2,372,780 Hess Apr. 3, 1945 

